在英文中,我們有時會使用 in spite of 和 despite 來表達「儘管」的意思。這兩個詞語看似類似,但實際上在用法上有些微妙的差別。
1. in spite of
in spite of 是一個介系詞片語,後面必須加上名詞或代名詞,用來描述某些事情發生的背景或限制條件,同時強調主句中的內容與這些背景或限制條件不同。例如:
- In spite of the bad weather, the game still went ahead. (儘管天氣很壞,比賽仍然繼續進行。)
- In spite of her fear of heights, she climbed to the top of the mountain. (儘管她害怕高空,她還是攀登到了山頂。)
2. despite
despite 的用法與 in spite of 很相似,也是用來表示主句中的內容與某種背景或限制條件不同,但 despite 必須加上名詞、代名詞、動名詞或從句作為其??,例如:
- Despite his tiredness, he worked late into the night. (儘管他很累,他還是工作到深夜。)
- Despite working hard, he failed the exam. (儘管努力學習,他還是沒有通過考試。)
3. 兩者區別
in spite of 和 despite 的區別在於後面所接的不同,in spite of 只接受名詞或代名詞,而 despite 可以接受名詞、代名詞、動名詞。
- In spite of bad weather 儘管天氣不好
- Despite the bad weather 儘管壞天氣
- In spite of her fear of heights 儘管她對高處感到害怕
- Despite being afraid of heights 儘管害怕高處
- In spite of the fact that he was tired 儘管他感到疲倦
- Despite being tired 儘管疲倦
總之,in spite of 和 despite 在表達「儘管」的意思上是相似的,但中間差異微妙,要依照句子的現象和需要選擇應用哪一個介係詞較為恰當。